


Chestnuts Roasting Near an Angel

by Cynthia_Gold



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Cabins, Chestnuts, Christmas, Christmas Castiel/Dean Winchester, Christmas Fluff, Dean Winchester doesn't know how to Christmas, Fireplaces, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Nuts, Pre-Slash, Smug Castiel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-23
Updated: 2014-12-23
Packaged: 2018-03-03 00:32:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2831591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cynthia_Gold/pseuds/Cynthia_Gold
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Tradition mandates that we roast these over an open fire, Dean."<br/>Castiel wants to roast chestnuts.  Dean has no power of resistance to Castiel's sad, sad eyes. Comedy ensues.  Fluff follows.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Chestnuts Roasting Near an Angel

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Coldplaying_In_The_TARDIS](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Coldplaying_In_The_TARDIS/gifts).



"Tradition mandates that we roast these over an open fire, Dean."

Dean incredulously glanced from the bag of chestnuts that Castiel had all but thrown into his lap to the angel's pleading blue eyes.  He  _really_ needed to figure out a good way to deflect that doe-eyed stare of Castiel's into a place that wasn't directly tied to the weakest part of Dean's willpower.  Then again, there were worse, far more... inconvenient places for such a stare to influence.  Castiel had of late felt the desire to celebrate the most random aspects of the Christmas season imaginable.  For instance, Cas had not once mentioned a tree, the pinnacle of Christmas tradition, but for some unfathomable reason Dean had awoken one morning to see his baby with those cheap, tacky reindeer antlers jammed into the windows and a round, red ball for a nose in the grille, effectively converting the once-intimidating Impala into the most socially rejected reindeer of all.  Cas had looked so proud of that, too, smiling at Dean from under the brim of his fur-trimmed cap, that Dean was almost tempted to drive with them on, if just for a day.  

_Almost._

The reindeer implements were abandoned in the motel's waste bin.  Dean would have told Cas to take off that goofy hat, too, if it weren't for the kicked puppy look on his face coupled with Sam's disapproving glare after he caught sight of an antler poking out of the garbage like a dead branch caught in a melted snowman whose smile had slid down until it conveyed a sense of inevitable despair rather than the winter jollity it had once expressed.

Dean really wanted to avoid seeing Cas look so _dejected_ , especially over something like a sack of tree nuts.

 

This is why, shoulders slumping a little, Dean looked at the expectant angel and said, "Yeah, Cas, it does."  He nodded, more to himself than to Castiel, because if Dean Winchester was going to roast some chestnuts, he was going to do it  _right_ , damn it.

Castiel, upon seeing Dean's positive reaction, smiled that barely-there smile of his, and Dean's stomach did something that was not-quite-a-flop-but-more-of-an-almost-wiggle.  "How does one go about performing this task?" inquired the angel.  

"Uhh," replied, the hunter, quite pointedly, because in all of his years roasting things like wendigos and rugarus, Dean had not once roasted a single chestnut.  "Well," he began,  raising his eyebrows.  "We'll need... um... a fireplace, right? Yeah.  That's how it's done."  Dean was really trying and really failing to sound sure of himself, but Castiel only nodded seriously. 

"That can be arranged," stated Cas, hand already pressed to Dean's temple.  Dean's stomach did something that  _was_ a flop as he felt himself being dragged at ludicrous-speed in some direction not yet penned by modern science.  When next Dean opened his eyes, he log walls and a charming stone fireplace that was not yet lit, the floor in front of which was draped with the pelt of an unfortunate bear.  "Is this suitable?"  Castiel asked, still radiating suppressed excitement despite his impassive features.

Dean, still unsteady from his unexpected journey- honestly, he felt a little like Bilbo Baggins at the moment- braced himself on Cas's solid shoulder, dropping the chestnuts to the bear on the floor.  If he took more time than necessary to orient himself, who was counting the time?  Not him, and certainly not Mr. Personal-Space Invader, who was currently gazing at Dean with an expression that was both bemused and fond.  Suddenly Castiel wasn't the excited child he was only moments before, but something ancient and powerful.  Dean then realized that he had been staring into Castiel's eyes while almost hugging him, and so pulled himself upright, clearing his throat.  "Yeah.  This'll work."

Dean stepped carefully over the rug, leaving the chestnuts where they lay, to the fireplace, which he promptly tapped with his boot.  "Can you light this thing?" he said as he turned to Castiel.  In lieu of response, Cas raised his left hand and stared intently at the log.  When Dean looked back, a bright, cheery flame greeted him.   _Hello,_ it seemed to say,  _I killed your mother and potential sister-in-law._   Luckily for the flame, Dean did not get this last part.

The bear rug did.  The bear rug was absolutely agape.

Dean clapped his hands together and snatched up the bags, throwing one on the quilt-covered bed and tearing the other open as Cas watched, intrigued at the deft ability of Dean's hands.  Dean plucked one nut from the bag and examined it carefully.  He wasn't sure what he was looking for, only that he knew he'd know when he saw it.  Satisfied with the specimen, he looked from it to the happy flame.  "And now we just-"  Dean unceremoniously tossed the nut into the fire, watching as it fell to rest beneath a log and well out of the flame's reach.  "Oh." He threw another chestnut at the fire with similar results, except this one rolled back out, entirely unscathed, into the jaws of the bear, who looked so very thrilled to be being fed a delicious uncooked tree nut.

Dean frowned hard at the chestnuts.  Castiel, noting his frustration, decided it was his turn at roasting chestnuts.  Carefully, he scooped out a handful of nuts and crouched, lifting them to his face.  As he did so, he began intoning some Enochian spell.  Dean watched Castiel's lips do their intoning and was intrigued, if not slightly aroused, at the shapes Castiel's mouth began to take.

His thoughts were interrupted as the few chestnuts in Castiel's palm began to hover and float directly into the fireplace.  When the nuts reached their destination, Castiel stopped his chanting but kept one hand angled towards the hovering chestnuts. 

A huff escaped through Dean's nostrils.  "That's cheating," he muttered as he plopped onto the rug next to Castiel, who was rotating the clump of chestnuts by motions from his hands.  Castiel looked far too smug when the first chestnut split open with not a  _pop_ , as legend says, but a distinct  _crack._ The next three nuts _crack_ ed, too, quite soon thereafter.  With another word of Enochian, the chestnuts came obediently back into his palm, somehow only warm to the touch.  Cas gestured for Dean to take one with a pleased little smile on his face, one that Dean couldn't help but return with his own lopsided smirk.  Dean's hand, like the chestnuts, floated obediently to Cas's palm and came away with two warm tree nuts, ready to eat.  Without hesitation, he peeled the skin of both chestnuts and discarded it some place on the rug before popping both into his mouth, giving him the appearance of a chipmunk as he began to chew, savoring the smoky flavor.  

He turned his head to look at Cas and almost choked when he saw that Castiel's usually stern face was similarly stuffed.  Unfortunately, a segment of nut actually did lodge itself in Dean's throat, causing Dean to cough and splutter. Here was Dean Winchester, choking on nuts, and it wasn't even the fun kind. Castiel, eyes wide and face still full, began to slap Dean hard on the back in an effort to dislodge the obstruction.  When that failed, Cas teleported himself into a position behind Dean, so that his legs were splayed to either side of the hunter, by which he could effectively wrap his arms around Dean's middle and pull, hard, forcing the offending chestnut out and onto the bear rug, who was gaping at the scene.

Dean continued coughing for a moment before leaning back into Castiel, who still had his arms on Dean's chest, and breathing quite heavily.  "Thanks Cas," he murmured after a few deep inhales.  Despite himself, he didn't make a move to free himself from Castiel's arms.

For several minutes, the sat like this, amiably listening to the  _popple_ and  _whff_ of the fire together. 

"Would you me to help you roast another chestnut, Dean?" asked Cas from behind Dean.

The closeness of his voice surprised Dean.  "Sure Cas, but I don't have the same mojo you do," responded Dean quietly, almost reverent of the stillness and warmth that had settled around them.  "I don't see how that could work."

With a word of Enochian, a smallish chestnut flew eagerly into Castiel's palm.  Cas reached around Dean once more to hand him the nut.  "Take this and hold it in your palm," Castiel commanded.

Dean obeyed, though not without protest. "How am I-"

"Have faith, Dean."

Dean was quieted and held the chestnut as he was instructed.  Cas placed his arm on Dean's and held his wrist gently but firmly, supporting him.  His free hand he placed onto Dean's shoulder, directly above his his own hand print.  He felt Dean shiver.

Letting out a tendril of grace through the hand print, Castiel began to repeat the spell he had used earlier.

Dean felt completely surrounded by warmth.  On the outside he was warmed by a fire and Castiel's own heat enveloping him, and inside he felt what could only be grace coursing through his veins as a warm drink slides down one's throat.  He closed his eyes, listening to Castiel's deep voice murmuring practically into his ear and suddenly became thankful that Castiel could not see the front of his jeans.  

Dean opened his eyes to see that the chestnuts had only just left his hand and were moving agonizingly slowly towards the fire.  Suddenly unable to bear even the thought of remaining still, Dean twisted around in Castiel's grip to face the angel, and upon seeing his smug smirk, kissed him hard on the mouth.  Castiel was just as enthusiastic, letting the chestnuts drop to the rug as he allowed Dean to press him against the floor.

~~~

Several hours later, the pair found themselves under the quilt and in each other's arms, each snoozing quietly in the warmth of the other's embrace as the dawning sunlight streamed through the window to illuminate the forgotten chestnuts on the rug next to the extinguished fire.

 


End file.
